Illuminated decorative device



7, 37- E. J. GRAF 2,090,118

ILLUMINATED DECORATIVE DEVICE Filed Dec. 22, 193 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 2%?6) BY d) 279% IATTQDRNEY Aug. 17, 1937. GRAF 2,090,118

ILLUMINATED DECORAT IVE DEVI C E Filed Dec. 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Zer J 9'77 BY Zffio ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 17, 1937 PATENT OFFICE .ILLUIVIINATED DECORATIVE DEVICE Elmer J. Graf, Roselle Park, N. J., assignor to G. B. G. Corporation, Newark, N. L, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 22, 1934, Serial No. 758,796

Claims.

This invention relates to illuminated ornaments that are especially adapted for use in decorating Christmas trees.

In my Patent 2,031,642, issued February 25, 1936, I have shown and described certain forms of Christmas tree decorative devices.

My present invention is directed to a simplification of the general designs set forth in said application, and it is therefore the principal object of my invention to provide an ornamental lighting unit which will be cheaper to manufacture than those I have heretofore designed, while at the same time obtaining an improved effect in the ornamental illuminated unit. 1 The improvement will be readily understood by reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view of one form of my improved ornamental lighting unit.

Figure 2 is a sectional view through Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a unit similar to that shown in Figure 1, but of a somewhat different pictorial design.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a further modified form of lighting unit.

Figure 6 is a rear view of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a further modified form of illuminating device.

Figure 8a is a section on the line 8a8a of Figure 8.

, Figure 9 is a sectional view through Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a partial rear view of the central portion of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a plan view of a further modified form of device with the central portion displaced and turned at right angles.

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view of a further modified form of device.

Figure 13 is a partial plan view of a further modified form of device.

Figure 14 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 13.

In Figures 1 and 2, the ornamental device comprises a unitary structure having what in effect is a casing for the lamp bulb I having a stem 2 for screwing the unit into a socket. The casing or holder is made up of front and back portions 3 and 4 which are held in laterally spaced relation one with the other by means of a plurality of arms 5 which pass through orifices in the back member 3 and are clinched over the back side of the member 3 at 6. This construction means that the front member 4 is detachably held to the rear member 3; that is to say, by bending the ends of the arms back to unlocking position, the front part or casing of the holder may be removed. The casing members 3 and.4 may be constructed of thin suitable metal or of non-metallic material,

in which case the material is preferably noninflammable.

This construction leaves arcuately arranged air spaces 1 around the perimeter of the member 4 for two purposes. First, so the inner surface of the member 4 will reflect the rays of light coming from the bulb l outwardly through the opening I and over the inner curved surface of the member 3; and second, the space 1 allows the heat from the bulb l to be quickly radiated away from the unit. It will be noted from Figures 1 and 2 that the casing has corrugations therein so as to disperse the light coming through the spaces 1 in every conceivable direction. This effect is further enhanced by covering at least the inner face of the casing 3 with a mixture of binding material such as silicate of soda, and finely ground up glass which may be of various colors, thereby giving a scintillating effect to the light rays which strike on these portions.

After the said mixture is applied to the frame, 'it may be covered with silicate of soda or some transparent lacquer or finishing material to prevent the particles from flaking ofi.

The outer part of the casing 4 is also finished in a similar manner and in addition, the casing 4 may have small slots 8 cut therein in some desired form as illustrated by Figure 1. This allows some of the light rays from the bulb to come through these slots, thereby enhancing the lighting effect.

The central rear part of the casing member 3 has an orifice therein through which the bulb i is passed, and this orifice is covered by an insulator 9 which is attached to the bulb structure in any satisfactory manner as by means of a suitable cement. The insulator 9 is fastened to the rear of the casing 3 in any satisfactory manner as by clips l0 punched from the casing member 3. The insulator 9 may have an ear II with a hole therein for attaching a support wire I2 to suspend the ornamental structure. The bulb I may be constructed to operate directly from a l10-volt circuit, or the bulb may operate on a lower voltage whereby a number of the units may be connected in series across the lighting circuit.

In Figures 3 and 4, the general construction is the same as in Figures 1 and 2, except the rear casing for the lamp I is slitted or split into petals l3 which have their outer ends I4 curved inwardly as shown in Figure 4.

In Figures 5 and 6, the general construction is the same as has been described with respect to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, except the outer portion of the rear casing member 3 terminates in extensions l5 having spear-shaped heads I6, the outer ends of which are bent inwardly, the same as the ends ll of Figure 4.

In the device shown in Figure 8, the rear casing in the back side .of the casing 3 by a suitable arrangement of the clips l0, one of which, 20, is

-so positioned as to engage the ear ll of the insulator 9 so that when the ear I l is pushed under the clip 20, the other edge of the ear H may be forced by a special clip 2| into locking position where it is securely held by the springiness of the thin insulator 9. To remove the bulb structure, the ear II is merely pried away from the lug2i and the bulb structure turned so that the ear ll passes from under the lug 20, when the bulb structure may be removed for the replacement of a new bulb structure. Thus it is possible to replace the bulb unit without throwing away the entire ornamental unit. The illuminating unit, comprising the bulb, stem and insulator, may be fastened to a piece, either metallic or nonmetallic, which in turn can be attached by clips or otherwise to the rear casing member 3.

In Figure 11, the casing member 4 is removable from the unitary structure by reason of the spring clips or arms 21 formed as a part of the member '4 and which spring clips are adapted to snap over the bulb, and thereby have a slidable, detachable connection with the bulb i instead of being detachably secured directly to the rear portion 3 of the holder or casing. In this figure, the rear casing member 3 has arms i5 and the heads I5 as in Figure 5.

In Figure 12, the front casing member 4 is more elongated in a sort of basket formation and is spaced from the rear member 3 a greater distance so as to cover a candelabra type of bulb.

In Figure 13, the construction is similar to that 45 shown in Figure 11; that is to say, the front member 4 is removably held over the bulb I in the same mannenbut the rear member 3 is star-shaped.

While I have shown a number of forms which my invention may take, it will be clear to one 50 familiar with these devices that other forms or shapes may be used. For example, the members 3 and 4 may be formed to give the effect of a pictorial character such as a Santa Claus or animal, but all such variations are intended to come with- 55 in the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A unitary decorative device including a casing having front and back axially spaced portions with spacing arms therebetween providing large 60 arcuate openings at the periphery of the front portion, an illuminating unit comprising, a bulb, a. contact stem comprising the sole means for mounting the device in a current-supply socket and an insulator directly and permanently fas- 65 tened to said stem, said unit being held to said back portion by said insulator so the bulb is between said portions, the rear portion having parts extending radially beyond said front portion and curved forwardly to throw reflected light onto at 70 least a part of the front portion, at least the front surfaces of both portions being formed and treated so as to distribute light coming through said arcuately positioned openings.

2. A. unitary decorative device including a casing having front and back axially spaced portions with spacing arms therebetween providing large arcuate openings at the periphery of the front portion which is preferably formed with a concave reflecting surface on its inner side, a lamp bulb positioned between said spaced portions and having its stem projecting rearwardly from the back portion to serve as the only means for mounting the device in a current supply socket, said rear portion of the device having parts extending radially beyond said front portion and curved forwardly to throw reflected light onto at least a part of the front portion, at least the front surface of the back portion being formed and treated so as to distribute light coming through said arcuately positioned openings.

3. A unitary decorative device comprising a holder having axially spaced front and back portions,- the back portion being of larger diameter than the front portion, said spacing being provided by narrow arms extending between said front and back portions, leaving relatively large arcuate openings therebetween, an illuminating unit having a bulb and stem the latter of which acts as the means for mounting the device, the bulb being held between said parts of the holder by an insulator permanently anchored to said stem and fastened to the back portion of the holder so light is directed from the bulb between said members onto at least the front face of the member of larger diameter while the stem projects rearwardly from said back portion, at least the front surface of the back portion being formed and treated to reflect at least some light onto the front face of the front portion of the holder.

4. A unitary decorative device as defined in claim 3, characterized in that the lamp and stem have an insulator permanently fastened thereto with means for attaching the insulator to the back portion of the holder, comprising clips on the holder portion suitably arranged so that parts of the insulator may be inserted under certain of the clips and then turned to be locked by other of said clips.

5. A unitary decorative device for the purpose described, including, a plural-part holder having at least front and back portions, the body of the front portion being materially smaller in diameter than the body of the back portion, narrow arms integral with one of said portions and extending between the said portions and fastened to the other portion, thereby holding said portions in axial spaced relation, leaving relatively large openings between; the arms, a lamp bulb, having a stem of standard uniform diameter, positioned between said holder portions and having its stem projecting rearwardly through the back portion and acting as the sole means for mounting the unit device, an insulator permanently fastened to the bulb structure and attached to the back holder portion, said back holder portion having parts extending radially beyond the outer periphery of the front holder part, at least said extended parts being formed and treated so as to distribute light emanating from the bulb through the spaces between said holder parts and impinging thereon.

ELMER J. GRAF. 

